NATO helicopter crashes in eastern Afghanistan, killing 2

NATO helicopter crashes in eastern Afghanistan, killing 2

2011-06-06 02:02:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Two coalition service members were killed on Sunday afternoon when their helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

The accident happened at around 1 p.m. local time in the Sabro district of Khost province. ISAF said two of its service members were killed, but gave no other details, including their nationalities. "The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash," an ISAF spokesperson said.

Although ISAF said there were no reports of enemy activity in the area, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the crash. "In the province's Sabro district, Mujahideen (Taliban fighters) shot down one of the NATO invaders' attack helicopters with rocket grenades on Sunday afternoon at approximately 1:00 pm local time, killing all the crew members and soldiers of the invaders," Mujahid said.

Coalition forces have suffered a series of aircraft accidents in recent months, killing several service members, but ISAF rarely releases details on their causes. The Taliban claimed responsibility for most of the crashes, although their claims could not be confirmed.

On Monday, one coalition service member was killed when his helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan. And several days earlier, another service member was killed when his helicopter crashed during combat operations in the Nika district of Paktika province, not far from the border with Pakistan.

And in September 2010, nine NATO troops were killed and others were injured when an ISAF helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan. A total of 212 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

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